House rules
Gameplay *Rule 0 - I am free to change anything from any published source that suits the needs of the story. This includes but not limited to the core rules, supplements, campaign settings, novels and the internet. *DM Fiat - This is sort of an addendum to DM Rule 0. I may at any time "cheat" the rules of the game in order to progress the plot or make some other planned circumstance come about *The Fun Combat Rule - Combat should be fun. It's boring to sit back and say "I roll a 17. Do I hit? Alright... 4 damage" over and over again. Taking the initiative to spice things up is encouraged and may be rewarded. In a situation where you describe your action in a cool way or do something especially interesting, you may recieve a temporary action point. *Bonus XP - Roleplaying is just as important as fighting. We're telling an interactive story here, so roleplaying in and out of combat, as well as on the Forum will result in Bonus XP. Other bonus XP will be given out on an individual basis for anything that player did to help make the session better. This might include exceptional roleplaying, coming up with a great idea to solve a riddle or puzzle. *Mental Challenges - Combat and Traps are not the only way the PCs are challenged. You will often find yourselves faced with mysteries, puzzles and riddles which your PCs will have to bypass in order to progress down a particular plot line. General Rules-Game Information *1.In general, most of the game information is secret during a game. As a DM I won't say 'the guard has an AC of 12, 8 hit points, and likes apple pie'. As a player, you won't know any of the game information, and as DM I won't tell you, so don't ask. *2.In general, most information in the game is secret during a game. As a player you can only figure out things by the description given. As a DM I won't say 'The goblin hits you with the dart of Blackfeather poison', but more 'the short, ugly humanoid throws a dart at you. The black oil on the dart causes your skin to burn.' *3.In general, most game effects are secret during a game. As a DM I won't tell you why something worked or did not work. As a player you have to figure thoes things out, in the game. For example, if you cast charm person on a black skinned guy and it does not work, I will not tell you his race and type. *4.In general, most game information about other players is secret during a game. Players are free to share whatever they want with each other. As DM though, I won't let you read another players character sheet. You are free to learn about another player's character in the game, through use of skill, magic, or whatever. *5.In general, most information stays secret even after a game. at least a couple weeks need to pass so the information is no longer current. General Rule-Questions 1.Should you have a question about the game or anything in or about the game, it should not be asked in the game itself. I'm online at least a little bit everyday, so feel free to message, text, e-mail, chat or otherwise communicate any time with questions. General Rule-Adjudicating 1.During a game, the DM's word is the final say. As a player don't bring the game to a halt to question a situation. If you feel something is wrong, bring it up after the game. Keep in mind the Game Information rules and remember that as a player you don't know everything about the game world. General Rules-Contributing *1.Everyone is responsible for contributing to the game, keeping things moving and having fun. So try to avoid doing other things while gaming. Pay attention and game. *2.It's best to avoid anti-social characters. It's no fun if your character is a quiet type, so you sit there and ignore the DM and the other players for two hours. What is the point of playing the game, if you don't play the game? *3.It's best to over dramatize all of your characters actions. Avoid one or two word responses. Don't say 'I attack', it's better to say 'I swing my sword at the goblin in the red cloak'. This lets everyone in the game keep track of what is going on. *4.As a player you are free to make-up stuff and add it to the world, with DM approval. Blatant attempts at getting something for nothing will not be allowed, like my dad was a king and left me a billion gold in his will. Once something is created, it is under the total control of the DM. *5.A player is free to make up songs, stories, legends, rumors, talltales, sayings, poems and other such works of in game fiction, without DM approval. Note that all such items are not officially part of the game, though the DM may add them, in part or in whole. General Rule-The Group *1.By joining the game, you agree to play in a group. This means, in general, you must stay with the group. Do not try to run off on some personal side solo quest during a group game. I'm more then open to run a solo game at any other time during the week. Character Creation *1.I'm fine with anything in a Wizards book. Some third party stuff is OK, some is not, going case-by-case. *2.Roll4d6 drop lowest roll, assign them where you want *3.I like a general world setting. So you should avoid things like the 'Krynn moon wizards' *4.No home brew stuff or house rules from other games. Some other DM out there might have let you 'hold the charge' of a shocking grasp and do additional damage, but that is not a rule here. *5.Some Prestige Classes require you to join a group, some do not. Note that if you join a group, you will start the game as a low ranking member of that group. Any group advancement must be role played out. Races *Only humanoids can become Dragonborn by applying the Dragonborn template to them. Skills *1.Role-playing can add a bonus to a skill check. This mostly effects social skill checks vs others, but it can effect other skills. The bonus can be from +1 to +5. If you take the minute to role play the skill, you can get the bonus, you you don't wish to, you will just get a normal skill check. In general, you want to spice up what your doing to get a positive reaction. Example-Ray wants to use the skill Gather Information to find a rouge guild in an unknown city. By saying 'I go around to dark and shady places and ask about rouge guilds', would get like a +1 or +2. By saying 'I look around the marketplace and look for any rouges committing crimes and carefully approach them and in a round about way ask about a guild, would get a +3 or +4. To get a +5 you'd have to use Game Information, 'I got to the Dark Dagger where I know rouges like to drink and ask anyone I see there with a badge of a black rat. Knowledge Skills *1.In general, don't ask witch Knowledge skill to use. That knowledge alone is knowledge your character would not have. For example, if your told to make a knowledge the planes roll, you would know the creature is from another plane. You need to figure out witch knowledge skill to use on your own. *2.A successful knowledge skill check does not give you a massive encyclopedic amount of information about a topic. In general, you just get a bit of random remembered information. If you would like more detailed, specific information about a topic, the best way to do that is to ask a question when you make your knowledge check to narrow it down. Magic All spells with the (Healing) descriptor, including Heal, all Cure spells, Raise Dead, etc, are now back in the Necromancy School, as they were in earlier editions. * Spells & items that create or morph extradimensional spaces, manipulate time, or involve teleportation risk creating planar breaches each time they are cast/used. (See Planar Handbook pages 151-153, DMG 147-151 & 168, Manual of the Planes 7-14). The caster/ user must make a Concentration check modified by Charisma. DC for the check = the minimum caster level of the spell or item being cast/ created. Success: spell/item functions normally Failure by 1-4 pts.: spell or item fails or does not function for 1d4-1 rounds Failure by 5-9 pts.: creates minor breach (minimum caster level 5th) Failure by 10-14 pts.: creates severe breach (min. caster level 9th) Failure by 15+ pts.: creates complete breach (min. caster level 13th) This favors casters as the ones who will need to lug around the bags of holding, portable holes, and the like. This also adds a small additional deterrence to teleporting willy-nilly around the world/ cosmos. Spells Astral Projection: Items duplicated via this spell still drain charges from the original item. Likewise, spell slots used, XP used, etc, all transfer back to the orginal body and its items. If your projection dies, you die. Your projection's equipment cannot be used by others, and vanishes 1 round after being separated from you. Mind Blank:Seeing through a transmutation effect such as Polymorph requires divining information not available to the normal senses, since with a transmutation the subject is physically changed, not merely covered by an illusion. Mind Blank blocks such divinations. Illusions such as Change Self and Invisibility work by placing a magically fabricated image over top of the subject. True Seeing sees through such magical fabrications. In this case, it is piercing a magical effect, not divining information directly. Mind Blank vs. True Seeing: Mind Blank will block True Seeing from detecing the true form of a polymorphed creature, but it will not keep True Seeing from piercing an Illusion such as Change Self or Invisibility. Mind Blank will also keep True Seeing from revealing the aura of a creature, if True Seeing is cast as a Divine Spell. Mind Blank vs. True Strike: Mind Blank has no effect. Mind Blank + Invisibility vs. See Invisibility: Mind Blank has no effect. Mind Blank + Displacement vs. True Seeing: Mind Blank has no effect. Mind Blank vs. Detect X: Mind Blank prevents the spell from divining information about the subject. Mind Blank is also effective against Detect Magic, even though strictly speaking Detect Magic is a Universal spell, not in the Divination school. Magic Items-Identification *1.When an item is found, it may or may not be magical. Players do not automatically know what is a magic item and what is a mundane item. Skills, abilities and magic need to be used to discover if an item is magical. *2.Players do not automatically know the powers of a magic item. Skills, abilities and magic needs to be used to discover a magic item's powers. Magic Items-Trade Magical items are for sale and can be bought worldwide, more or less. Though not every item can be found everywhere. *1.First keep in mind the community wealth. A small town will not have a magic shop with half a million gold coins worth of magic items. *2.Evil magical items are not for sale in the open in most good or neutral places. In general evil items can only be found in evil places. *3.Some magic items are rare, illegal or restricted. At the top of the list are combat items. Magic shops do not have a 'destroy this town' shelf. Also on the list are shady items that can be used by people in the wrong ways to cause trouble. This includes items that use illusion or charm magic. *4.Some magic is common and well used. Magic that can help people in their day-to-day life is easy to find. Magic items that help skills and protective items are two good examples. *5.Some magic items can only be found in special locations. Elven magic items are normally found with elves, for example. Injury and Death *In order to return to life after being dead, a living creature must roll a Resurrection Survival Check. Should they fail, they are Dead Forever. This is a base DC 10 with no modifiers. *If you have an ability that lets you gain a benefit at the cost of taking damage/ability damage/drain, or some other penalty, you must take the damage to gain the effect. Rest *1.A character may only rest once every ten hours or so and may only sleep once every 12-16 hours. You have to be tired to rest or sleep. You can not, for example, attack a dragon for ten minutes and wound it, then retreat and rest eight hours, attack the dragon again for ten minutes, retreat and rest and attack again. *2.Time flows when you rest. The whole world does not stop and freeze in place while the characters rest. Combat *1.Combat takes a while in real time, but goes by fast in game time. Keep in mind that a combat round is only six seconds. You can only take quick actions in combat, so you can't read a book, for example. Anything that would take even a minute is too long when the action takes place in six second bits. *2.Initiative is rolled once at the start of a combat encounter. *3.Shield bonuses are added to touch AC. Experience *1.You get experience for everything you do in the game, not just killing. *2.It is possible for members of a group to get different amounts of experience. Everyone will get the same group XP, but individual XP will not always be the same. *3.Some common individual rewards: -A clever idea:50-100 XP -Role plays the character well:100-200 -Encourages others to participate:100-200 -Use of a spell, ability or power to further ethos:10-1000 Conditions The fatigued condition imposes a -2 penalty to caster level and a -1 penalty to spell save DCs. The exhausted condition imposes a -6 penalty to caster level, and a -3 penalty to spell save DCs. The caster level penalties cannot reduce a character's caster level below one-half its normal st Category:Rules